Saint Francis took a 2-0 lead in set five before a back-and-forth battle ensued. The Red Flash kept even or ahead of the Warriors until Merrimack took a five-point lead at 11-6, fueled by their home crowd. A kill by Alexandra Sappia (West Palm Beach, Fla.) helped get the Red Flash back on track, but Merrimack was unrelenting. Errors by both teams narrowed the Warriors' lead to 13-10, allowing Saint Francis to stay in the match. A kill by Eicher made the score 12-14, with a kill by Hogan making it a one-point difference at 13-14 before Merrimack claimed the win.

FLASH MOMENTS
After starting set one behind, a five-point run kept Saint Francis in the set. Burns started the run with a kill, with Eicher earning two of her own, while the Red Flash also took advantage of attack errors by Merrimack. The Red Flash would play a cat-and-mouse game with Merrimack in the first set, taking the lead before the Warriors would catch up. Down 25-26, a kill by Aubrey Deptula (Boca Raton, Fla.) tied the score. Saint Francis took advantage of attack errors by Merrimack to take a 1-0 set lead.

Down two sets, the Red Flash found a groove in set four. Tied at three apiece, a kill by Deptula got the ball rolling for Saint Francis. An attack error furthered the lead before Deptula registered another kill with Kori McClure (Westerville, Ohio) claiming one of her own to give the Red Flash a 7-3 lead. Errors by Merrimack continued to help the Red Flash, strengthening their lead to 14-9. Later in the set, Deptula earned two more kills. Combined with a service ace by Alexa Chapla (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and more errors by the Warriors, Saint Francis had a comfortable 23-12 lead. Merrimack fought back, but a kill by Hogan captured the set win to force the fifth set.

FLASH NUGGETS
In addition to Burns and Eicher, Sappia and Emma Fenton (Latrobe, Pa.) were key members of the offense with 25 and 21 assists, respectively.

Eicher also led at the net for the Red Flash, leading the team in blocks with one solo and one assisted block.

UP NEXT
The Red Flash will close their first weekend of conference play against Stonehill Saturday night at 5 p.m.